The Montgomery Branch of the Alabama Section hosted the 2018
Winter Meeting Conference in Wetumpka, AL on Thursday, March 1,2018.
The day provided some great Engineering Presentations, a Tour of the
Impact Crater, and a Legislative Update from the only Professional
Engineer in the Alabama State Senate and the House of
Representatives. We would like to say a big Thank You to our
sponsors and exhibitors for helping make the event successful.
Please look below for presentations, videos and pictures.

Photos

2nd Annual Civil Engineer Legislative Day

On February 21, 2018, the Alabama ASCE Section
joined with Alabama-ACEC for their 3rd Annual Legislative Driving in
Montgomery. The event was attended by 45 members who heard from
State Senator Clyde Chambliss, P.E., M.ASCE (R- District 30) who
touched on how bills becomes law in Alabama. The Senator also spoke
about his bill, Senate
Bill 316, which will change the composition of the Alabama Board
of Licensure to include two public members and move
qualifications-based selection (QBS) from the state administrative
code into the state statutes.

Montgomery Branch Awarded the Outstanding Section and Branch Website Award for 2nd Year in a Row

February 10, 2018 — The Montgomery Branch
(Alabama Section) has been awarded the Outstanding Section and
Branch Website Award for Small Sections and Branches. This is the
second year in a row that the branch has received this award. The
award was presented at the 2018 Regions 1, 2, 4, and 5 Multi-Region
Leadership Conference on Saturday, February 10 at the Hyatt Regency
Buffalo Hotel in Buffalo, NY. Accepting the award from ASCE
President Kristina Swallow on behalf of the Montgomery Branch is
Montgomery Branch Secretary-Treasurer Ramsey Ashmore.

33 Years of Excellence Recognized

October 10, 2017 - The Montgomery Branch of the Alabama Section
of the American Society of Civil Engineers dedicated the October
Branch meeting to recognizing the leadership and volunteerism of
each of its former Branch presidents. Those leaders, during their
time with the Branch, put forth great effort to uphold and enhance
the integrity and ethics of the civil engineering profession, while
serving engineers and the community in the River Region. By way of
our past presidents, the Branch has been able to foster professional
interaction between students, younger members, and experienced
professionals as well as instill enthusiasm in the profession and
Branch membership and involvement. Dr. Dan Turner, P.E., Ph.D, presented each recipient with a
certificate of recognition. Dr. Turner is a tireless advocate, promoter, and leader for the
transportation engineering profession, and he has the distinction of being the only member of
the Alabama Section to serve as the national Society President of ASCE.

The Montgomery Branch of ASCE was established in 1984 with 30 original members, and several of
these charter members were on hand to witness the recognition of our past presidents. Thirty-three
years later, the Branch continues to be a highly active professional organization within the River
Region, largely due to the efforts of these honored individuals. According to Mr. Brian Felder, 2009
Branch President, “It was an honor to be recognized with so many leaders in the ASCE community.
In my current job, I have the opportunity to attend and present to ASCE branches throughout
Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, and I can honestly say that the Montgomery Branch is the most
organized, well run, and impactful of all of them”.

The Montgomery Branch would like to once again thank each of its former presidents for their service
and sacrifice to the Branch, ASCE, and the civil engineering profession. As often quoted, “We make
a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”

Select the left(<) and right (>) arrows to scroll through
the pictures.

February 2017 - 1st Annual Alabama ASCE Civil Engineer
Legislative Day Drive-In at the Alabama State House

On Wednesday, February 15, 2017, the Alabama Section of
ASCE held its 1st Annual ASCE
Civil Engineer Legislative Day Drive-In at the Alabama
State House. The event was attended by over 40 Civil
Engineers from across the State of Alabama. The group included
multiple Alabama Section Members, several County Engineers, Renee
Casillas, Executive Director of American Council of Engineering
Companies (ACEC) of Alabama, and additional representatives from
other organizations that represent the Engineering Community.

Senator Clyde Chambliss, P.E. who represents Alabama Senate
District 30 was the main speaker. Senator Chambliss gave the group
an overview of the legislative process and how bills progress
through the legislature. Also, Senator Chambliss discussed his
Senate Bill 171 for Anti-Trust Immunity for the Board of Licensure
for Engineers and Land Surveyors and Senate Bill 174 for
Qualification Based Selection (QBS). Senator Chambliss stated that
QBS is the most important issue he has seen in his 25 years of
practice as a Civil Engineer. Other speakers included Senator
Phil Williams of Senate District 10 (Cherokee, Dekalb, Etowah,
and St. Clair Counties), Senator
Trip Pittman of Senate District 32 (Baldwin Co.), Senator
Gerald Dial of Senate District 13 (Chambers, Cherokee, Clay,
Cleburne, Lee and Randolph County), and
Representative Joe Lovvorn of House District 79 (Lee County).
Senator Dial gave the group a historical perspective of
transportation funding and discussed the status of gas tax
legislation for this session. The afternoon concluded with
multiple Engineers meeting with individual legislators about issues
affecting infrastructure and the Civil Engineering profession.

December 13, 2016 - ADA in the Work Zone - Branch Meeting

Life Members in attendance for the meeting
Matt Stoops receives gift card for Golf TournamentThanks to Gary Paul for Speaking.
Ralph Davis is awarded the 2016 Life Member Award.
Jason Masters receives Membership Drawing Gift Card.

Montgomery ASCE Branch members provided a Civil Engineering presentation to over 20 Seniors at Alabama
Christian Academy. The presentation included the different disciplines within Civil Engineering, types of
employment opportunities, incomes for civil engineers, student chapter opportunities, and information about
the 2017 Montgomery ASCE Branch Scholarship. The presentation was given by Andrew Harry, and he was
accompanied by Greg Boleyn, Michael Hora, Mark McDonnell (Auburn Student Chapter President), and Brad Williams.

November 17, 2016 - Panel Discussion at the Auburn University
Student Chapter

November 17, 2016 -- More than 40 civil engineering students
turned out for a mentorship event at Davis Hall at Auburn University
on Thursday, November 17, presented by the Montgomery Branch of the
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). The Auburn University
Student Chapter was the first ASCE Student Chapter founded in the
Southeast and one of the first in the nation. Since their founding
in 1921, they have been a leader within the ranks of ASCE Student
Chapters and on Auburn University's campus.

The event included a networking session; welcome remarks by Mark
McDonnell, Auburn Student Chapter President; a technical
presentation by Brad Williams and Jennifer Haslbauer, Montgomery
Branch President and Membership Chairperson; and a panel discussion
that included five professionals, several of which were Auburn
University alumni. This was a great opportunity to foster
professional interaction between students, younger members, and
experienced professionals. The presentation to the students provided
an overview of job opportunities in Montgomery and upcoming
Montgomery Branch activities.

Once the presentation portion of the event was completed, the
Branch members opened a panel for discussion and questions from the
students. Fielding questions that ranged from managerial advice to
personal and work life balance to becoming a professional engineer,
panel members supplied students with unique perspectives on the
field of civil engineering and how to bridge the gap between college
and the work force.

The panel included:

Andrew Harry, P.E.

Jennifer Haslbauer, P.E.

Michael Hora, P.E.

Brittany Israel, E.I.

Brad Williams, P.E.

This was another great opportunity for the Montgomery Branch to
continue efforts to foster our relationship with the Auburn Student
Chapter, and the Montgomery Branch would like to extend a special
thanks to all those that participated. The Branch looks forward to
continuing to engage with our local students and community.

November 2016 - Scholarship Golf Tournament

The tournament was held on November 3, 2016
at the Lagoon Park Golf Course in Montgomery, AL. We had
15 teams,
13 Hole Sponsors, over 20 volunteers, excellent weather, and a golf
course in great condition. Thanks to your help, we were able to
raise over $3,000 for the scholarship fund. These
scholarships will be provided by the Montgomery Branch to high
school seniors in the River Region (Autauga, Elmore, Lowndes and
Montgomery Counties) that are planning on enrolling in civil
engineering.

We would like to give a special thanks to our
sponsors, who in large part were the reason for
the success!

Thanks again to all who participated. We look
forward to seeing you again next year! Save the Date for the 2017 ASCE Scholarship Golf Tournament
on November 2, 2017.

Click
here or the image below to see
over 400+ pictures that were taken at the golf
tournament.

The leader of the nation’s oldest engineering society met
with members and students of the Alabama Section and several local
public officials during a visit to Alabama’s Gulf Coast on July 19
to 22, 2016.

Mr. Mark Woodson, 2016 President of the American Society of Civil
Engineers (ASCE), made a much‑anticipated visit to the Gulf Coast
Region of Alabama to speak at the ASCE and American Public Work Association
(APWA) Joint Summer Meeting in July 2016. The Executive Board
of the Alabama Section of ASCE established a robust and interesting
itinerary for Mr. Woodson to provide him with the maximum possible
exposure to civil engineering successes, opportunities, and
challenges in Alabama. On July 20, Mr. Woodson toured the Airbus
A320 facility, a $600-million, 53-acre manufacturing plant, at the
Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley Field. Also during his time in Alabama,
Mr. Woodson was able to conduct multiple key leader meetings with
the City of Mobile, the City of Orange Beach, and Baldwin County
local officials. Mr. Woodson participated in a roundtable
discussion at University of South Alabama that included members from
the Alabama Department of Transportation, the Mobile Area Water &
Sewer System, the Alabama State Docks (Port of Mobile), the
Associated General Contractors of America, the US Army Corps of
Engineers, Mobile District, and the Mobile Chamber of Commerce.

Tour of Hirschfeld Steel Plant

On June 14, 2016, The Montgomery ASCE Branch held its Branch Meeting at the
Hirschfeld Steel Plant in Montgomery. The members who attended had
the opportunity to see how steel girders are fabricated from sheets
of steel.

VIDEOS

Welding a Steel Girder
Click above to view

Drilling Bolt Holes
Click above to view

2016 ASCE Fly-in to Washington, D.C.

The 2016 ASCE Legislative Fly-in was a great success, with every
state sending at least one delegate and totaling more than 200
attendees. The Fly-in was an intense two day event held on March
15th and 16th, 2016. The Alabama Section sent a delegation of four
people consisting of Mr. Joe Meads, Alabama Section Legislative
Captain; Mrs. Shelia Montgomery-Mills, Alabama Section President;
Mr. Michael Hora, Alabama Section Past President; and Mr. Brad
Williams, Montgomery Branch President. The delegation had an
opportunity to meet with the Staff of Senator Richard Shelby,
Senator Jeff Sessions, Representative Terri Sewell, Representative
Gary Palmer, and Representative Martha Roby.

Mason attends Multi-Region Leadership Course (MLRC) in
Pittsburg, PA

The
2016 ASCE Multi-Regional Leadership Conference (MRLC) was a great
meeting for several members from the East Coast (Regions 1, 2, 4,
and 5) who attended. In attendance were three groups: Section and
Branch Leaders, Eastern Regional Younger Members Council, and
Student Chapter Leaders. The Section and Branch Leaders traveled
from 29 different Sections, from Maine down to Florida. The
Leadership Conference was a complete two-day event held February
12th and 13th, 2016 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Every Branch from
Alabama sent a representative to attend. Mr. Thomas Mason,
the Branch Membership Chairman, represented the Montgomery Branch at
the Conference. National members in attendance included
President Mark Woodson, President-Elect Norma Jean Mattei, and other
notable ASCE Leaders.
READ MORE >>>>

2016 ASCE Section Winter Meeting at The Westin in Huntsville, AL

2016
Lunch with a Senator

On January 12, 2016, The Montgomery ASCE Branch held its Branch Meeting at the Alabama State House
in the Senate Chambers that is located in the heart of Montgomery.
Senator Clyde Chambliss, P.E. who
represents Alabama Senate District 30, was the main speaker. He discussed ten key points he learned
in his first year in the Senate. Senator Chambliss also discussed the funding issues that surround
this state. To put it best, Senator Chambliss stated that the “publics input affects the (legislative)
process.” He also explained how a bill is started and made into law by comparing it to Chess and not checkers.

Senator Arthur Orr, new Chair of the Senate Education Budget
Committee; Senator Rusty Glover, Senate Majority Whip; and
Senator
Greg Reed, the Senate Majority Leader, also stopped by to address
the branch member about things happening within the Senate. Their
insight on key issues helped educate our members on the affects the
General Fund budget for the State of Alabama. Senator Orr spoke
about the difference between proration and cuts.

It was an enlightening experience to have over 50 civil engineers
attend the meeting; some of which worked in the building until 1985,
prior to when the Alabama Legislature’s relocation into the upper
floors while the Alabama State Capitol was being renovated. At the
conclusion of the meeting, lunch was provided in the tunnel that
connects the State House and the State Capitol.

Below are some pictures from the event.

Lunch in the tunnel that connects the Alabama State House and the State Capital

Tour of the Alabama State Capital

Tour of the Alabama Department of Archives and History

November 2015 - Thanks for your service...

On Tuesday, November 10, 2015, the Montgomery ASCE Branch presented Mr. Chance Armstead with a plaque
for his dedicated service and leadership given to the branch over the last four years
culminating as the Branch President. Mr. Armstead intends to
continue to help guide the Montgomery Branch and Alabama Section by volunteering to be the Director for the Montgomery Branch.
We are grateful for his volunteer work and look forward to him being
part of the team in the future!

October 2015 - Jordan Dam Tour

On Tuesday, October 13th, 2015, over 40 Montgomery ASCE Branch Members conducted
a tour
of the Jordan Dam that has been in service since December 31st, 1928, and
provides 100,000 kilowatts of power with four turbine generators.
Over 2,000 feet long and standing 125 feet high, it is a testament
to the civil engineers of the past.

July 2015 - Section Summer Meeting

VIDEOS

Click above to view

Click above to view

PHOTOS

March 2015 - Legislative Fly-In at Capital Hill in Washington, D.C.

The 2015 ASCE Legislative Fly-in was a great success, with nearly every state sending at least one delegate and totaling
more than 200 attendees. The Fly-in was an intense two day event held on March 24th and 25th, 2015. The Alabama Section sent
a delegation of four people from the Birmingham and Montgomery Branch consisting of
Dr. Ed Segner, Mr. Ben Gallagher, Ms. Shelia
Montgomery-Mills, and Mr. Brad Williams. The delegation had an opportunity to meet with the Staff of Senator Richard Shelby, Senator
Jeff Sessions, Representative Terri Sewell, Representative Gary Palmer and Representative Martha Roby.
>>>
Click here for complete write up

February 2015 - Winter Meeting at Hotel Capstone in Tusacaloosa, AL

Several Montgomery Branch Members attended the 2015 Winter Conference and heard some very good presentations.

Several Montgomery ASCE Members enjoyed a very successful 2014
Alabama Section Summer Meeting from July 23-25 at the Perdido Beach
Resort in Orange Beach, Alabama. There were many great presentations
that were given, and some of the members competed in the Equipment
Rodeo.

Also of note, Past Montgomery Branch President Michael Hora will
be assuming duties of Alabama Section President, and Branch member
Barrett Dees will be assuming the responsibility as the Alabama
Section Secretary-Treasurer for Fiscal Year 2014-2015.
Congratulations on your selection to your position and good luck!

February 2014 - Winter Meeting

February 2012 - Winter Meeting at the Hyundai Plant in Montgomery, AL

February 2008 - Winter Meeting at Auburn, AL

February 2007 - Winter Meeting in Montgomery, AL

February 2006 - Winter Meeting in Tuscaloosa, AL

July 2006 - Summer Meeting in Mobile, AL

2005

February 2002

U.S. Military Academy and American Society
of Civil Engineers - West Point Bridge Designer 2002

On February 14, 2002 the Alabama Section of the American Society
of Civil Engineers conducted a state-level high school student
competition using the West Point Bridge Designer 2002 for a
nationwide competition sponsored by the U.S. Military Academy and
American Society of Civil Engineers. In the nationwide competition,
there were over 47,000 bridge designs that were entered in the
competition that ended on Feb. 28, 2002.Each team had to design a
two span continuous deck truss bridge with a low concrete pier, 40m
bridge length with spans of 16m and 24m with all members initially
of the same material, section and size. Teams were required to do
their own work with no collaboration with anyone outside the team. Each team had a maximum design time 30 minutes, and they couldn’t
make any changes to structure geometry (adding/deleting/moving
joints/members), but any or all members could be modified for
material, section and/or size. The winner was based on the least
total cost.

There were five teams in the state of Alabama competing for the
top prize. The high schools represented were West End High School of
Walnut Grove, Grissom High School in Huntsville, Tuscaloosa Academy,
Montgomery Academy and Holy Spirit Academy in Tuscaloosa. Montgomery
Academy took first place in the event. They were represented by
Hunter Schloss and Bart Smith with Melissa Anderson as the sponsor.